Another "How to..." question (Canon IS 2S)

jcinnb

OK, I have had my 55 gallon going since early December. Been some tough going at times, and all is not perfect but I have had a few successes.

Several weeks ago the local Petsmart had Bosemani Rainbowfish. I had previously purchased seveal on internet and due to bad water they did not last. Anyway I got two from Petsmart.

I was in the other day and they still have a few but I was STUNNED by how the one's in my tank colors have changed, deepened darkened, etc. After about 3 weeks mine are looking pretty much like the pictures, not like the ones in the breeder tank environment.

Anyway, I was asked to bring a picture of mine in.

Uh-oh.

I have a Canon IS 2S, that was a pretty fair camera in its day, and IMHO pretty good today, as well.

However, I have never even taken a "bad" picture of my fish...only worse, worser, and worst.

Can anyone give me "foolproof" settings. There is lots to change on the camera and I have changed them all, with the same, pitiful results.

Additionally, it seems when I try to zoom in, I get about 1/2 way there and then as I zoom more, I just get blurry. Is that a function of the glass?

I have a great tripod, which I have used, and I have washed both the inside and outside of glass.

I would really appreciate some suggestions on how to get a good picture so I can show off my guys.

Thanks in advance.

jcinnb

Aqua Jon

There is no real foolproof setting IMO. Taking photographs of fish is extremely difficult because they are extremely fast and hardly ever sit still. My advice is to take lots of pictures and take the lucky ones from the batch. But, after looking at a photo online of your camera, it looks like you have some manual options. If you're comfortable doing a little pre-picture set up as far as aperture and shutter speed then you can adjust accordingly to your light. But most people don't use manual settings and I will omit them unless you'd like. Generally you will want to have no light in the room other than tank light - to solve a mid day photoshoot, use a thick or dark blanket to cover the tank and yourself. Also, turn off the flash. The flash can only be a problem causing glare on the tank and also conflicting with the light source. Never use digital zoom, it will always give you a bad image - im not even sure why they allow that on cameras. Optical zoom is alright, but I would zoom in from a couple feet away from the tank as most cameras have a minimum focus distance. If you have a macro option, that will allow you to get closer to the tank.


PS - Most fish are usually less colorful in the store because of stress, only when they are "comfortable" do they display their color best. I've also heard that young boesemani rainbows change color as they age, perhaps becoming more colorful.

jcinnb

Thank you. I have tried a lot of what you said, but have not tried zooming from a bit of a distance. Will give that a try, shortly. Again, thanks.

jcinnb

Mikaila31

what kinda lighting is on the tank? I have that same camera, well kinda its CCD chip is failing, but anyway when it was younger it worked fine. Light levels in the tank are probably the biggest factor external factor for aquarium photography.

jcinnb

I have two 50 or 55w 9600 bulbs, but I have right much floating stuff, so not all of the light that is, is getting to bottom. Thank you for your response.

jcinnb